The role of a novel cytokine in endometrial and ovarian cancer is a Research Project for the Regulation of Interferon and Innate Signalling Research Group, under the Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases.

Project Leaders

macrophage and bacteriaCervical and endometrial cancers are major human diseases with unmet medical needs. This laboratory has discovered a new interferon designated interferon epsilon (IFNe), which is highly expressed constitutively in the female reproductive tract and regulated by hormones. IFNe belongs to a cytokine family which regulates the development of cancers through direct effects on cell proliferation, survival and migration as well as by indirect effects of activating innate and adaptive anti-tumour immunity. Aspects of this project will utilise preclinical models of these studies, in vitro cell biology and molecular genetics approaches to examine the effects of IFNe in the development of ovarian and cervical cancers, and as a potential therapy.